This invention relates to an attachment to an inhalator and a nebulizer equipped with such an attachment. More particularly, this invention relates to such an attachment for preventing droplets of liquid medicament and the user""s saliva from dripping out.
An inhalator, or a nebulizer, is principally used for a therapeutic purpose. A medicament in a liquid form is nebulized by a nebulizer into a particle form and the patient, breathing in the nebulized medicament through the mouth or the nose, treats ailments in the bronchial tube, the nose cavity and the throat.
Nebulizers of different forms have been available, including the recently developed so-called ultrasonic nebulizers using a mesh. Such modem nebulizers are easily portable and capable of efficiently nebulizing a medicament. The nebulized medicament must be inhaled by the patient efficiently but there are patients who are not skilled in effectively inhaling nebulized medicament. Thus, various accessories and attachments have come to be used such as mouthpieces and masks.
A mouthpiece is a tubular inhalation attachment with one end part adapted to be inserted into the patient""s mouth such that the nebulized medicament will be inhaled through the mouth. A mask is for covering both the patient""s mouth and nose such that the nebulized medicament will be inhaled through both the mouth and the nose.
Inhalation attachments of either of these kinds are adapted to have one of its end parts connected to a nebulizer such that this end part will communicate with the medicament-emitting outlet opening of the nebulizer. The nebulized medicament emitted through this outlet opening generates an air flow inside the cylindrical body of the inhalation attachment. An air flow is also generated as the patient breathes in for inhaling the nebulized medicament. In order to maintain an appropriate air flow, an inhalator attachment is provided with an air intake opening for taking in air from outside. Without such an air intake opening, the air flow ceases to exist within the cylindrical body and it becomes impossible to inhale the medicament liquid.
It frequently happens with most inhalators that the nebulized medicament becomes attached to the inner wall of the cylindrical body and forms droplets which drip down on the inner surface and drop out of the air intake opening. If the patient is an infant, saliva may also start flowing out of the air intake opening. The droplets of medicament and the patient""s saliva dripping out of the air intake opening may remain on the outer surface of the nebulizer or scatter around. It is not only unsightly and unpleasant to the patient as well as to persons around but also a hygienical problem to be addressed to.
In view of this problem, there have been attempts to provide a liquid storage space inside an inhalator attachment but the inhalator attachment becomes structurally complicated if so designed. Since such a liquid-storing space cannot be formed easily as a single component, the number of constituent parts increases and this affects the production cost adversely.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved inhalator attachment capable of maintaining a steady air flow inside a cylindrical body while preventing the droplets of medicament and the patient""s saliva from dripping out.
It is another object of this invention to provide such an inhalator attachment that can be produced without increasing the production cost.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a nebulizer equipped with such an attachment.
An inhalator attachment to a nebulizer according to this invention may be characterized as comprising not only a tubular member having a medicament inlet for receiving nebulized medicament from the nebulizer, an inhalation opening which is opposite the medicament inlet and through which a patent inhales the nebulized medicament passed through the tubular member and an air inlet through which air outside is introduced to be passed through the tubular member but also a brim member for guiding liquid droplets on the tubular member into a receptacle. With an attachment thus structured, droplets of medicament liquefied by becoming attaching to the inner wall of the tubular member and the user""s saliva are guided by the brim member into the receptacle inside the nebulizer. Thus, the inhalator can be used in a hygienically advantageously way. Since the attachment is of a simple structure, there is no need to increase the number of components to be assembled and the production cost is not unnecessarily increased. Since an air inlet is additionally provided, furthermore, the receptacle does not interfere with the air flow through the inhalator.
It is preferable to form the brim member continuously from one end of the tubular member at the medicament inlet. A brim member thus structured is easier to produce and is more convenient because the liquefied medicament and the patient""s saliva can be collected more dependably.
The air inlet may be formed by cutting a portion of the tubular member at the medicament inlet because the air flow inside the tubular member can be stabilized more reliably than if a separate inlet is provided elsewhere. A stabilized air flow through the tubular member makes it easier for the user to breathe in the medicament. Since such a cut can be easily formed, the production process need not be complicated.
A nebulizer according to this invention may be characterized as comprising a main body and an attachment as described above which is detachably attached to the main body. The main body includes a receptacle, a nebulization mechanism for nebulizing a medicament liquid and a medicament outlet for causing a nebulized medicament from the nebulization mechanism to be emitted therethrough.